U.S. – CPSC Staff Guidance on COVID-19 Related Products Published

Vol. 1195 | 05 Nov 2020

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) staff has published guidance for COVID-19 related products such as face coverings, gowns, gloves, and disinfectant & cleaning products. Manufacturers should note that this guidance only covers the CPSC requirements and there may be other safety and labeling requirements applicable to their products.

For face coverings, the guidance covers the scope and mandatory requirements for a non-medical face covering for use by a general consumer as well as children, while informing that medical face masks are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the N95 and other respirators are regulated by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Similarly, non-medical use face shields are regulated by the CPSC. However, the face shields for use in diagnosis, mitigation, treatment, cure or prevention of diseases, including COVID-19, are regulated by the FDA and industrial face masks may have recommendation from NIOSH or requirements from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

The CPSC has provided similar guidance for gowns and gloves based on whether they are used by a general consumer or a medical professional.

Finally, for disinfectant and cleaning products, the CPSC informs that based on the product ingredient and intended use they could be regulated by the FDA, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or various federal agencies. In addition, some of these products fall under the Poison Packaging Prevention Act (PPPA) and require special (childproof) packaging.

Detailed CPSC guidance on these products can be reviewed at: https://www.cpsc.gov/COVID-19

At Intertek, we offer technical support and testing for such products.

Please contact Dr. Pratik Ichhaporia (pratik.ichhaporia@intertek.com, +1-847-212-8273), Dr. Stella Li (xingyu.li@intertek.com, +1 503-351-9612), for any additional questions or concerns.